9z smashed Aurora 2-0 in the Thunderpick World Championship 2026 opener on October 14, with luchov top-fragging the series by a wide margin.
Scoreline
- Inferno: 9z 13-11 Aurora (close, went to the last round of regulation)
- Nuke: 9z 13-1 Aurora (demolition)
Top performers
9z:
- luchov — 38-20 K-D, 1.61 Rating 3.0
Aurora:
- Jimpphat — 32-29 K-D, 1.19 rating
Context
Aurora went into the match as a Fantasy-pick favorite — four Aurora players sat in the top-10 of TWC fantasy picks, and woxic was the second-most-picked player overall (28%). 9z's dominant Nuke flipped that narrative.
Source: HLTV.org — /news/45718/9z-beat-aurora-2-0-to-kick-off-twc-2026
